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In what’s emerging as a key issue in the November elections, a trio of Democratic Senate candidates slammed their Republican opponents Wednesday for opposing Wall Street reform legislation.

Rep. Charlie Melancon in Louisiana, Rep. Paul Hodes in New Hampshire and Lieutenant Governor Lee Fisher in Ohio used strikingly similar populist language to rip their GOP foes.

“David Vitter is against anything that helps working people get out of this dilemma,” said Melancon, citing the first-term Republican senator’s opposition to the bill.

In a conference call, Hodes said it is “time that Senator [Judd] Gregg and the Republicans stood up and stood on the side of the middle class families ... instead of the big banks on Wall Street.”

Fisher, in a separate call, knocked former Rep. Rob Portman’s “long record of standing up for Wall Street.”

Much as Republicans used the threat of a “government takeover” to bludgeon opponents during the health care debate, Democrats are now using the bank bill to tie the GOP to Wall Street.

A Gallup poll taken this week showed that when Wall Street is mentioned in the question, respondents favor banking reform legislation by a 14 percent point margin. When Wall Street is not mentioned, that advantage shrinks to just three points.

The survey of 1,024 adults taken between April 17-18 found that Republicans, too, are more likely to support the legislation when “Wall Street” is named.

On the other hand, Republican candidates continue to frame the bill as another “bailout.”

In a midday statement, Portman warned of a potential bailout and also said the current proposal does not do enough to protect taxpayers and could lead to less available credit and a “less competitive financial services sector.” He said he could support a better, bipartisan bill.

But Fisher, in a conference call with reporters a few hours later, called Portman’s willingness to support a bipartisan bill “a vague election year conversion that no Ohioan can believe.”

Portman’s campaign was more than happy to return the volley, accusing Fisher of playing catch-up and lifting some of their own ideas from Huffington Post.

"We're happy to let Lee Fisher borrow two of Rob Portman's good ideas on reforming Wall Street. We're just disappointed he doesn't find it necessary to have comprehensive reform that includes Rob Portman's three other objectives: stronger regulation of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, keeping Ohio banks competitive and ensuring that credit is flowing to small businesses,” said Portman spokeswoman Jessica Towhey.

Melancon cited an e-mail from Vitter’s Senate office intercepted by the Louisiana Democratic Party that detailed a March 18 conference call with Wall Street executives as evidence of where the incumbent’s alliances lie.

“Senator Vitter would like to hear your thoughts on specific provisions that you are supporting or opposing. This is mainly to listen to your concerns and to see what Sen. Vitter can focus on with a markup on the Chairman’s proposal tentatively scheduled for next week,” wrote Vitter’s scheduler Kathryn Fulton in the March 15 invite.

“This bill is about trying to regulate those people that got us into this financial mess . . . but David Vitter continues to oppose this bill,” Melancon said.

Vitter’s campaign said his opposition to this bill and “every single government bailout” is aligned with the community banks in Louisiana that are also against the measure.

Melancon was put on the defensive for supporting the initial financial bailout known as TARP, calling it a necessary program that “needs to never happen again.” “You’re damn right I voted for it. He didn’t vote for it because he didn’t want to regulate those big banks,” he added.

In New Hampshire, Hodes, who held the first conference call of the day, chastised Republican opponents Kelly Ayotte and Bill Binnie for avoiding the issue altogether.

“Ayotte must be waiting for talking points from Republican folks in Washington because she said absolutely nothing, and you can only assume from the fact that she said nothing that she opposes Wall Street reform,” he said.

I applaud Dems for rips GOP foes for oppoising bank bill. I doubt that GOP candidates will win in the midterm election cause the voters will see the very true color of GOP candidates. We need a Wall Street reform to be regulated. I blame the banks and stocks for causing the economy crisis. GOP Party needs to re-learn about Great Depression history...

All though both sides are guilty of taking money from the fatcats Prez.Osama takes the lead role then spanks his fatcat friends by saying they're crooked,typical Osama move.He commits the greater sin then turns the attention on companies he used to dupe the morons who put him and his REGIME in office.

He has barrowed and spent more of taxpayers money than any one entity has in the history of the world.Most of it has been spent by going around the Constitution,this egomanic then spends more of our money by adding more shady characters to his REGIME strictly to find loopholes in the Constitution and ways of breaking down "THE RULE OF LAW" and not doing as he promised to be a TRANSPARENT president,more so than any other in our history.

In fact he and his REGIME are the MOST secretive,sneaky,backroom dealers this nation has ever seen and continue to stick to his Socialist agenda despite what"WE THE PEOPLE" SCREAM AT HIM EVERY MINUTE OF EVERY DAY.

Push--Back It is time the Democrats grew some spine.---The Republican party is in Black-Face and dressed in fake Tea-Leaves. If you got the nerves too stand against the corporate politicians on your right, the American people will stand with you. But know this--We are not happy with the health care process nor the out-come. We lost the public option which was the cost cutting provision in the bill and we are not happy campers. If you allow the party of hell no to water down this reform bill democrats need too pack their bags. We waited fourteen months for a little Push Back and we expect much much more. P.S. Whare are they hiding Mike-Steelhead the magic Negro

Push--Back It is time the Democrats grew some spine.---The Republican party is in Black-Face and dressed in fake Tea-Leaves. If you got the nerves too stand against the corporate politicians on your right, the American people will stand with you. But know this--We are not happy with the health care process nor the out-come. We lost the public option which was the cost cutting provision in the bill and we are not happy campers. If you allow the party of hell no to water down this reform bill democrats need too pack their bags. We waited fourteen months for a little Push Back and we expect much much more. P.S. Whare are they hiding Mike-Steelhead the magic Negro